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Discovering the optimal Android smartphones can pose a challenge, and narrowing down the choices to the perfect one can be even more daunting. That’s where we step in. Throughout the year, a multitude of Android smartphones passes through our hands, facilitating the identification of the truly “best” ones. Simultaneously, this process aids in pinpointing the devices that don’t merit your attention.
This compilation comprises the finest Android smartphones currently available for purchase. It encompasses a diverse range of phones, each distinguished by its unique features, such as battery life, camera capabilities, flip phones, foldables, and more. Regardless of your specific requirements, you’re bound to discover a suitable option on this list.
Best Overall Android Phone
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Despite launching in February of 2023, the Galaxy S23 Ultra remains the best overall smartphone for the year. With the Galaxy S23 Ultra, Samsung really knocked it out of the park. It hit every note with this phone. It does have an MSRP of $1,199, which is quite expensive for a flagship phone, but it is generally on sale for closer to $999.
At that price, you’re getting a 6.8-inch curved QHD+ 120Hz display, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, along with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Makes it a pretty beefy smartphone, and to go along with that is a beefy 5,000mAh capacity battery. I used the Galaxy S23 Ultra for quite some time at the beginning of the year and absolutely loved it. Samsung hit all of the key aspects of a phone here: display, battery life, and camera.
The battery life on the Galaxy S23 Ultra is still unmatched; the only other phone that can come close is one that’s smaller with a larger battery. Of course, a big part of this is due to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, which is such a power-efficient chip, and that really helps the battery life here.
The display on the Galaxy S23 Ultra is one of the best displays on a smartphone. It’s really a joy to watch things like YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok on this display because the colors really jump off of the screen at you. The colors are accurate, and it’s also very bright. Sporting a peak brightness of 1,750 nits, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has no issue being seen and used outdoors.
Finally, there’s the camera. This is the first phone with a 200-megapixel camera. Which, on paper, sounds incredible. The camera will default to pixel binning the images down to 12.5-megapixels. That results in smaller file sizes with much more detail. Samsung does let you take photos at 50-, 100- and 200-megapixels, though. Obviously, shooting at 200 megapixels is going to result in larger files and more details, which can also slow down the cameras.
But that’s not the real star of the show on the Galaxy S23 Ultra. It’s actually the telephoto cameras. That’s right, Samsung has two telephoto cameras here, both of which are 10-megapixels, with one being a 3x telephoto and the other being a 10x telephoto. The 10x telephoto camera is incredible and perhaps my favorite feature on the Galaxy S23 Ultra. I used this phone a lot in my travel during the summer, and got some truly incredible images out of this camera at 10x. It can also go up to 100x, but you won’t really ever use that, and it doesn’t look as great.
Best Foldable Android Phone
OnePlus Open
The OnePlus Open is the latest foldable Android smartphone to hit the market, and it blew everyone else out of the water. Not only does the OnePlus Open destroy the competition on the spec sheet, but also in price. It has a price of $1,699, that’s $100 less than the competitors, and it also offers some really great trade-in deals – like $200 off any phone in any condition, including one that was on fire.
With the OnePlus Open, the company was looking to stick to its schtick while also making foldables better. And this being OnePlus, that means the latest and greatest specs across the board. With a 6.31-inch 20:9 aspect ratio front display, and a 7.8-inch main display, both of which are 2K resolution, with adaptive 120Hz refresh rates and a peak brightness of 2,800 nits. So it’s not hard to believe that these are the best displays on a foldable. Inside, you’ll find the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. It also has a 4,805mAh capacity battery. These are killer specs for a foldable, with more RAM, double the storage and a larger battery than the competition.
But OnePlus didn’t stop there. Not only is this a larger battery, but it’s also one of the fastest charging ones, with 67W charging included. Not to mention, the charger is included in the box. So you can charge up in under an hour. The battery life on the OnePlus Open is quite nice. Actually, I’ve been using it for quite some time, and I really enjoy the battery life here. It can sometimes get me through two days of usage.
But the big thing for OnePlus is the software. This is running OxygenOS 13.2 with Android 13 and will get Android 14 pretty soon. But that’s still not the software story; Open Canvas is. With Open Canvas, OnePlus has literally opened the screen to allow you to do virtually anything. Basically, think of this as having screen real estate that’s larger than the actual screen. Open Canvas lets you open multiple apps on the screen at once, and you can even push apps off-screen and keep them open. Check out this Instagram Reel I put together to see more of what I mean here.
The Open checks a lot of boxes for people about foldables. And that includes the display crease. With the OnePlus Open, the display crease is almost non-existent. Sure, you can see it in the right light if you’re looking for it. But for the most part, you’re not going to notice the crease here, and that is rather impressive. I’ve been using the phone for a little over a month so far and never even thought about the crease. I can’t say the same thing about the competition, though.
Best Android Flip Phone
Motorola Razr Plus
The Motorola Razr Plus is another foldable that really caught us all by surprise. It’s like a return to form for Motorola here, coming back to the foldable space with something that’s not quite a super high-end phone but pretty close. The Motorola Razr Plus here is priced at $999, and at that price, you’re getting a really incredible flip phone.
Motorola has equipped the Razr Plus with a 6.9-inch FHD+ 165Hz adaptive display. It also comes with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 inside, with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Which is actually more base storage than a lot of regular, non-folding flagship phones come with. So good on Motorola for stepping up there.
The real show-stealer with the Razr Plus is that front-display. It’s a 3.6-inch display that encompasses the entire front of the Razr Plus, including the cameras. With this display, you can easily check the time, your notifications, and the weather, and even take a quick selfie if need be. But more importantly, you can run full apps on this display. Just about any Android app works on this main display, including Google Maps, Spotify, and even TikTok. You can also play a suite of games from Google’s GameSnacks here on the main display, which is the real reason why I love this display.
Despite having a 3,800mAh capacity battery, the Razr Plus actually has pretty decent battery life. As I stated in my Motorola Razr Plus review, “It’s not quite on the level of some non-folding phones like the Galaxy S23 Ultra, but it is better than the Pixel 7 Pro.” That’s pretty good for a folding phone, especially given the much smaller battery capacity here.
Best Budget Android Flip Phone
Motorola Razr (2023)
Normally, I would not include the same manufacturer for the best and the best budget of the same category, but Motorola has done it here. They currently sell the best flip phone, as well as the best budget flip phone in the Motorola Razr (2023). The Razr (2023) is a $699 flip phone, and in some aspects, it’s better than the Razr Plus.
The Razr (2023) offers up a few different colors, though my favorite one is the Summer Lilac color, which is a nice purple color here. Motorola has encased the Razr (2023) in a faux leather material that looks and feels incredible. It’s by far my favorite feeling flip phone, simply because of that and the curved sides. It just makes it feel so good in the hand.
It’s not puppy dogs and rainbows with the Motorola Razr (2023), though. To hit this price, Motorola did need to cut some corners, and the biggest corner was the camera. It’s a 64-megapixel main sensor and a 13-megapixel ultrawide, and the sensors are likely fine, but the pictures that come from them – are not. It’s honestly probably one of the worst camera experiences that I’ve had on a phone in many years. Fingers crossed, Motorola is able to update these cameras to be a lot better in the future.
Software here is really good, like ASUS, Motorola does a stock Android approach, and it just looks incredible on this 144Hz display. Motorola added some features that you can actually use, like changing the clock style on the front display. And jumping into multi-window even faster. Battery life has also been pretty decent here, with the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 powering the phone and a 4300mAh capacity battery. It has been enough to get through a full day and then some.
Best Budget Android Phone
Google Pixel 7a
The Google Pixel 7a is starting to move out of that “budget” area and into more of a “cheap flagship” price range, but it’s still a great budget phone. Coming in at a starting price of $499. At this price, you’re getting a pretty good-looking 6.1-inch 90Hz display, the Tensor G2 processor with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. That’s not too shabby for a sub-$500 smartphone, to be quite honest. Now if you are looking for something cheaper, I recommend checking out our Best Budget Phones roundup.
Earlier this summer, I published my review of the Google Pixel 7a, and I said that it had the best camera in its class, and I still stand by that. The Pixel 7a has a 64-megapixel main sensor and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide. Now, you might think, based on that, the Pixel 7a has a better camera than the Pixel 8, but that’s not true. The Pixel 8’s camera is a physically larger sensor, even though it’s only 50-megapixels. So, while the Pixel 7a has a smaller sensor, it still takes brilliant photos, and a good bit of that comes down to Google’s own post-processing.
On the software front, this did launch with Android 13 and has now been updated to Android 14. The Pixel 7a will continue to get OS updates until 2026 and security updates until 2028. Google’s Pixel software is the best in the business. Google doesn’t add a lot of apps and features that you’ll never use. In fact, it has added a lot of features that you will indeed use. Like Call Screening and Hold for Me. These are both absolutely brilliant features from Google and ones that I use all the time. They work just as intended, and so does the spam-calling feature.
Best Gaming Android Phone
ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate
The ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is like a wet dream for mobile gamers. It literally hits every box on the spec sheet. However, this is not a cheap phone. With a starting price of $1,399. But when you see the specs that are on this phone, it’ll make more sense.
This is the “Ultimate” variant of the ROG Phone 7, so ASUS spared no expense here. It includes a stunning 6.78-inch 165Hz FHD display powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. It also has a massive 6,000mAh capacity battery inside, which is perfect for playing games.
In our review of the ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, we mentioned that the battery life here is stellar. Which, with a battery that large, you’d expect that. We were able to play games for hours and still have plenty of battery life. Of course, when you do need to top up, ASUS does support 65W charging on the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. We tested it and found it could take the phone from 0% to 100% in around 42 minutes. That is rather impressive for such a large battery.
The ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate also has a cool LED panel on the back that can show different things, as well as different accessories that you can put onto the phone. Making it more of a gaming console that fits in your pocket.
Best Compact Android Phone
ASUS Zenfone 10
Not everyone wants a big phone, and thankfully, ASUS has heard all of you. The Zenfone 10 continues on with the ASUS legacy of creating a flagship phone in a small footprint. The Zenfone 10 has a 5.9-inch display, one of the smallest on the market in 2023. And it’s only $699, making it a pretty incredible value.
The Zenfone 10 is also powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and sports a 144Hz display, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. I am matching the specs of most phones on this list, which are a lot larger. ASUS also packed it with a 4,300mAh capacity battery that will get you through the day. When I reviewed this phone earlier this year, I found that I was able to get two full days on a charge, and that’s with being a heavy user. I was quite impressed with the battery life of this phone. Especially given its size, it’s able to hang in there with the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
When it comes to software, it does run Android 13, and it’s a fairly stock version of Android. That’s something else I love about this phone. ASUS didn’t layer on a thick skin like some other manufacturers do, instead it included a few features to make the experience better. Including a change to the quick settings, which you can use ASUS’ own take on quick settings, or go back to Google’s stock approach.
The only downside to the Zenfone 10 is going to be the cameras. It has a 50-megapixel main sensor and a 13-megapixel ultrawide. On paper, they sound fine. And that’s true, they are. But they are pretty basic. You’ll get some good pictures from this camera, as I found in my review of the Zenfone 10, but don’t expect anything incredible.
Best Camera Android Phone
Google Pixel 8 Pro
The Google Pixel 8 Pro is, by no surprise, our pick for the best camera phone running Android. This should not surprise you one bit, considering how good Google’s cameras have been in recent years. The Google Pixel 8 Pro did receive a price increase this year over the Pixel 7 Pro, so now it starts at $999 for 128GB of storage. However, we’d recommend spending the extra $60 to jump to 256GB of storage.
In our review of the Google Pixel 8 Pro, I mentioned that this is “The Smartest Android Smartphone”. So what does that mean? Well, Artificial Intelligence, as you might have expected. Google has been all-in with AI for quite a few years now, but with the Pixel 8 Pro, they are taking things a bit further, bringing Generative AI into the mix. And it’s doing so in a few different ways.
Firstly, with wallpapers. You can now generate wallpapers using artificial intelligence and make some rather impressive wallpapers. In fact, the wallpaper in the Pixel 8 Pro picture above was made using Generative AI on-device. The only complaint I have about these wallpapers is that they are sort of limited right now, and you can’t export these to use on other devices. Hopefully, both of those things change in the future.
Then there’s the cameras. Google did upgrade the ultrawide camera here, so it’s now 48-megapixels, just like the telephoto 5x camera. And the main camera is still a 50-megapixel shooter. But that’s not really the changes that we want to focus on with the Google Pixel 8 Pro camera. It’s AI. Google has added a few AI features here in the Pixel 8 Pro camera, including Magic Editor, which I absolutely love. The Magic Editor will use Generative AI to change how your photo looks. It can change the sky, remove objects, make objects larger or smaller, and even stylize portrait shots. And this is just some of what it can do. It’s actually really impressive what it can do, as mentioned in my review of the Pixel 8 Pro.
The other big AI feature is going to be Best Take. When this leaked out before the event, it sounded very creepy, but in practice, it’s not. Basically, what Google has done here is that when you go to take a group shot, it’s using burst mode. So it’s taking several photos of the scene. And there’s always someone that’s not looking at the camera or not smiling. With Best Take, you can change individual people’s faces to one that was taken in another photo. Making it so much easier to get everyone looking good in your group photo.
Of course, we can’t forget about the rest of the hardware on the Pixel 8 Pro. It has the Tensor G3 processor inside, which works pretty well; it’s a big upgrade over the G2. And also allows Google to promise seven years of updates. So the Pixel 8 Pro (and Pixel 8) will get updates until 2030 – that means Android 21! It also has a pretty impressive display. We’re looking at a 6.7-inch QHD+ display that has a peak brightness of 2,400 nits. So no more squinting to see your phone outside. In practice this display looks incredible, it’s hard to put this phone down because it does have such a good display on-board.
Best Battery Life Android Phone
OnePlus 11
I’m pretty lucky that I get to play with and use so many different smartphones over the course of the year. This year, I can name about 15 different phones that I used for at least a month. And that made me wonder, which one gave me the best battery life? That would be the OnePlus 11. Surprisingly, the OnePlus 11 offered incredible battery life. It’s actually right up there with the Galaxy S23 Ultra. It likely comes down to the slightly more optimized software on the OnePlus 11 versus the One UI.
In my review of the OnePlus 11 from earlier this year, I showed that I was getting about 10 hours of screen time with this phone. And that is fairly impressive, but remember that is pretty similar to any other Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-powered smartphone these days. But now, several months later, people are getting even better battery life on the OnePlus 11 than that. This is truly great to see, as the last thing you want to do is, get a phone that can’t last a full day for you. Thankfully, this one can last a couple of days if needed.
The flip side of the battery life here is obviously the charging. OnePlus does offer 80W wired charging in the US (it’s 100W in Europe due to different electrical standards). OnePlus says that you can get a full charge, that’s 0% to 100%, in about 25 minutes. And we did test this and found that it was pretty much accurate. Of course, there are some other variables here, like what else is plugged into the outlet and such, so we were actually getting closer to 30 minutes. But what this means is that you can easily top up your phone before you head out. And gain a good amount of charge in just a couple of minutes. However, in typical OnePlus fashion, they did remove wireless charging here.
Along with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 inside, OnePlus also has 8GB or 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage as well. This is all powered by a 5,000mAh capacity battery. On the camera front, OnePlus is still working with Hasselblad here and has included a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 32-megapixel telephoto, and a 48-megapixel ultrawide that can also do macro photography.
Now, I’m not going to sugarcoat it here, when the OnePlus 11 first launched in January, the camera was not that great. It took good pictures, but it was nothing to write home about. As OnePlus typically does, it updates the camera through a few software updates. And in a couple of months, the camera started to become pretty incredible. It went from being just an average camera experience to being one of the best.
Finally, the good part. The price. OnePlus 11 starts at just $799. Making it cheaper than a lot of its competitors, and now you can generally find it for even less.